• Walmart said it is ending quarterly bonuses, which have been paid to employees for decades.
• The big-box retailer recently announced that it would boost hourly pay.
• Many companies have been raising wages and sweetening perks as they try to attract candidates and retain workers in a competitive labor market.

Walmart will end quarterly bonuses, as it raises hourly wages for store employees and other workers.

A company spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that the big-box retailer is eliminating the additional pay on Jan. 31, 2022, and rolling it into its workers' base pay. The bonuses — dispersed four times per year — have been paid out for decades.

Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield said the change will make compensation more consistent and predictable for employees. The development was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Walmart announced the new pay structure in a memo to employees last week. Hatfield declined to provide a copy of the memo, saying it is an internal communication.

The latest announcement comes on the heels of another wage change at Walmart, which is the nation's largest private employer. The retailer announced last week that it would raise its minimum wage to $12. It said that would amount to at least a dollar increase in hourly wages for more than 565,000 store workers.

Walmart's U.S. average hourly wage is now $16.40, according to John Furner, CEO of Walmart U.S.

Hatfield said the phase-out of quarterly bonuses accounts for just a small portion of the compensation increase.

Many companies have raised wages and sweetened perks as they try to attract and retain workers in a competitive labor market — but Walmart has lagged behind other retailers like Target and Amazon that have already hiked their starting pay to $15 an hour.

Walmart has emphasized other benefits, including a program that covers the cost of college tuition and textbooks for employees.